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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Cervelli: I Consulted With PED Clinic Following My Foot Injury

via cbslocal.com

Francisco Cervelli is the latest Yankee named in what I'm dubbing the "Biogenesis PED Scandal."

According to this report by Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, Cervelli's name appears "crossed out" on a list of names which also now reportedly includes Baltimore Orioles third baseman Danny Valencia, but most notably, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun.

Upon news of his name being listed, Cervelli released this statement via Twitter:

Unlike Alex Rodriguez, Cervelli's name does not appear with "drugs taken or purchased" listed next to it. Regardless, Cervelli is now officially part of MLB's ongoing investigation

Cervelli's explanation sounds perfectly logical. What we don't yet fully understand about the Biogenesis clinic, is how it marketed itself in the anti-aging and sports industry. It seems reasonable that athletes may have used the clinic and Anthony Bosch to "consult" on injuries or anything related to the use of PEDs if the clinic marketed itself as such--that's what Braun is claiming he did, saying also that he has "nothing to hide." Braun is now the fourth player named in this scandal thus far that has failed a drug test administered by MLB. His result was "overturned" on a technicality.

Until MLB completes its investigation, I am withholding judgment on all the athletes named in this scandal thus far, and any other names that are yet to be released. However, I do applaud Cervelli for two things: answering the accusations immediately and having the guts to admit to purchasing supplements. That raised my eyebrow, and I'm sure many of yours, but his willingness to be as forthright as possible can only work in his favor.